Did I create a monster kitten?

[smallbigtown]

So my co-worker's neighbor had a litter of kittens that they were getting rid of, and I'd been open to bringing home a kitten.  In my opinion, they were far too young to be away from their mother (six weeks old).  But by the time I'd heard about it, there was only one kitten left in the litter.  It was a beautiful, playful, black kitten.  I took him home on a Monday.

The previous owners said he was already eating kibble.  I bought some kibble, knowing that I was going to change him over to a raw diet.  Well, Thursday was his first raw meal.  He was so frantic eating it.  Immediately afterwards, he was manic about purring and snuggling, almost like he was thanking me for allowing him to be a cat!  He's quite the snuggler, and likes to lick my face.  So he was doing that... you know, licking my face.  Then he latched onto my eyebrow with his teeth.  HARD.  Then he started licking my lip.  He chomped down on my lip like he was trying to tear it apart.  Like he thought my lip was the chicken he had just been eating.  His entire body tensed up and it's like he was in a frenzy.  He put a small hole in my lip and it was bleeding.  I was in shock.  

He spent the next few minutes climbing up and down my pant legs, which he hadn't done before that.  He raced around the bed and taunted my dogs.  He took a nap and when he woke up, he was back to normal.  I still didn't want his face near my face, though.

The next day (today), I gave him more raw food.  He wasn't as frantic about eating it this time, but he ate it all.  He seemed normal, but then again, I wouldn't let him lick my face.  Hours later, he sniffed my nose and chomped down on it, body all tensed again.

I'm not sure what to do.  

Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[goholistic]

LOL....I'm sorry, but your post really made me laugh! 

  I really have no idea, but to me if just sounds like he's being a playful, crazy kitten that is very happy to finally have real meals. I guess it's possible that he thought your lip was a piece of raw chicken.  

  Are they "love bites"? My Caesar will bite me, but gently, with his little front teeth.

He might be too young still, but at some point you may have to start training him not to bite. Point an index finger at his face and firmly say "No."

 

[winkie]

so sweet...he loves you the most and thanks you too....he will understand not to bite when he grows a lil big...pick him up facing his face the other way round (not facing you) and pet him...also engage him with some toy...

 

[fluffybeard]

Sounds like love bites! My kitten did the same and he was a super hard love biter and his favorite target was my face! You need to let him know it hurts. What I did is when he bit, I made a startled squeal and made my body flinch which would startle him and get his teeth away for a second and then I would say "no" but in a whining/groaning way and then I would turn over or pull a blanket over my head so he couldn't go back and do it again. It's worked pretty well but it takes perseverance and he went through a couple stages where he'd learn not to chomp and then kinda forget and have to learn again. But he doesn't do it anymore! Now he gnaws on me super gently, lol, and never my face.

 

[mservant]

It sounds like what he would do with his mom, kittens will play with their mom and lock mouths and play but in a loving way, not nasty.  He will not know this hurts you until you are able to teach him. He is exploring and getting to know his human mom in the only way he knows how.  

I agree, I don't think it is intended aggression, but it is very important you respond calmly and firmly to him so he learns quickly not to do this without is making him frightened of you.  If he is biting your face it will be very difficult to vocalize the 'no' but you could try to vocalize an 'ow' sound, and push him slightly in towards you which may sound daft but it should help him know he has to release.  If you try to pull him away it will trigger a play aggression response which you don't want.  

How is your lip where he punctured your skin.  Please keep a close eye on it and if there is swelling and redness seek attention quickly as puncture wounds from cats are often infected due to bacteria on teeth and claws.

Let him play rough with toys in-between you and him where he is likely to get overexcited, and try not to let him get too close to your face when playing until he seems to have learned you don't have fur to protect you like he does.  If he had his mom and siblings around him they would bite back and he'd learn from them.    Kittens get hyper and when they get hyper they forget boundaries and test limits.  

It's OK to play and let him get hyper as long as you know you can be calm and know how to react if he bites or goes in to bunny kick hugs.

Reward the behaviours you want, ignore the ones you don't, to a cat any attention is good attention unless it is too frightening.  Perfect the art of ignoring the cutest kitten in your life and you will start to be able to show him how you want him to behave without him being frightened of you and becoming anxious.  If you can't ignore because he's drawing blood follow the pattern of no or ow, and push in towards him. Fluffybeard's right, he will learn and he'll stop doing it.  

 

[smallbigtown]

Are you guys sure this isn't intended aggression?  Because I'm pretty sure he's trying to eat me.  

He's like a tiny terrorist.  I'm living in fear.  lol  Last night, he started sniffing my eyelids.  Of course I immediately thought he was going to eat my eyeballs.  So that's nice and relaxing when you're trying to sleep.  lol  I pushed him away from my retinas, and then he launched an attack on my ear lobe.  Siiiiiigh.   I might need to start wearing protective gear when I get ready for bed.  And when I get ready in the morning.  And when I get home from work.  And when I'm just awake, period.  Oh, and when I'm sleeping.

So pretty much, I need to wear a suit of armor at all times.  No big deal.

​

 

[smallbigtown]

Oh, and my lip is fine.  It's already starting to heal, and the wound seems to be clean.

I mean, it's a gaping wound and I think I'm gonna die.  

 

[sonadora]

 What I did is when he bit, I made a startled squeal and made my body flinch which would startle him and get his teeth away for a second and then I would say "no" but in a whining/groaning way and then I would turn over or pull a blanket over my head so he couldn't go back and do it again. It's worked pretty well but it takes perseverance and he went through a couple stages where he'd learn not to chomp and then kinda forget and have to learn again. 

 
 it is very important you respond calmly and firmly to him so he learns quickly not to do this without is making him frightened of you.  If he is biting your face it will be very difficult to vocalize the 'no' but you could try to vocalize an 'ow' sound, and push him slightly in towards you which may sound daft but it should help him know he has to release.  If you try to pull him away it will trigger a play aggression response which you don't want.  

You are correct that kittens around that age, 5-7 weeks, really should not be separated from Mom or their littermates. This is the crucial time when they start learning cat-manners: how hard they can play rough before it hurts, what to chew on, what to wrestle with, you get the idea. The trick is to provide him with lots of chewable, bite-able, scratchable, and kick-able toys, then directing his play aggression towards them and away from you. You will have to show him to play rough on toys but not on human hands (or faces!) It also helps to get a teaser-toy and tire him out with it. Kittens will try to kill anything that moves (and I mean kill as in destroy and demolish) so by giving him the satisfaction of tearing up toys hopefully you can keep him away from your face!

Good luck! Keep us updated! 

 

[fluffybeard]

Don't live in fear, lol. My kitten was exactly the same way when he was tiny and when you're fearful, you tense up and you start doing defensive moves like blocking and pushing away, and that actually makes it worse cause it triggers play mode! Which is why when you pushed him away from your eyes, he went for your ear. He is not trying to eat you at all, this is normal kitten behavior. If he goes for your eyes, obviously you have to put your hands up and protect yourself, but once you do, yowl in pain and get away from him so he knows you're not inviting play. When my kitten was at his peak terrorist mode, I would anticipate when he was getting in the face chomping mood and I would move away from him before he even got there and get him playing with his toys. It was annoying cause sometimes I just wanted to be able to chill in bed with a book and I couldn't for awhile cause that was his favorite time to attack, but a few months later and there are no problems with that now! So hang in there! Your kitty obviously adores you!

 

[mservant]

   Defense is the best form of attack....  chain mail PJs with balaclava hat and ski goggles could be the order of the day for a month or two.  Once he gets bored of trying to chew his way through to get to human skin you should be fine.   Good to hear your lip is OK. 

Sadly almost every kitten seems to think that human in bed means human target practice and goes in to major stealth and hunt practice for a good couple of hours, has a little nap, comes back for more, and then repeats the training exercise around every 3 hours until you give in, get up and get their toys.  Keep with the 'ignore and play dead' and a couple of months should see you through it.  I went for bed covers thick enough to protect me from teeth and a sheet tucked in around all 3 sides to protect against marauding paws.  Head end needs to be tucked in tight and if he comes anywhere near your head slowly go for cover.  No fast moves or it says to him you want to join in and backfires horribly, sonadora has the experience there having to deal with 4 at a time!  And yes, I do have memories from when Mouse first moved in with me where I feared he would bite my nose and eyes in my sleep!  (He never did but I was seriously anxious about it).

Fluffybeard is spot on saying to you need to anticipate once they reach 'peak terrorist mode'  (excellent description by the way 

),  with Mouse there was a certain LOOK in his face and then his body would start to hunker down ready for the full leap on to my head.  He still tries to do it now (nearly 3 years old and about 10 lb) but I pretty much always out-smart him and he knows no teeth are allowed:  He got me from behind a couple of weeks ago and couldn't help laughing.

 

[smallbigtown]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

When he was chomping down on my arm, I pointed at him and said "no!"  Then he chomped down on my finger.  

Last night he got my face again.  Not with his teeth, but with his Edward Scissorhands death claws.  He drew blood in a couple of areas on my face, and a few of the punctures welted up.  The deepest one, which was also a scratch right on my eyelid, is still swollen.  I was super irritated.  It is frustrating.  I've had him for a week.  I can power through the next couple of months, but it's really going to test my patience.  I started pinching his ear after he'd hurt me, and it worked.  Temporarily.  Like for maybe five minutes.  

I have two adult dogs.  One of them has really taken to the kitten, treating him like he was one of her own puppies.  It's so sweet to watch a 70 lb dog tend to this tiny, fuzzy kitty.  It will be a long time before I leave them in the same room without being there, though.

Also, the kitty is trying to help me post this message.  

​

 

[mservant]

 
Also, the kitty is trying to help me post this message.  

​

Quite a common occurrence, we're used to it!

Sorry to hear about the death claws and your face.  Taking cover is a serious idea - moving slowly at all times so he doesn't take it as a play response like he did with the pointing finger.  Staying absolutely still (or moving slightly in towards him then staying still, and saying no is best policy unless taking cover is required.  Have you had your eyelid looked at? I mean they swell up with the slightest scratch but you need to be careful with infections near your eye.  Hope it's OK and settles but if it's still swollen and red get someone to check as it's hard even finding stuff you can use to reduce inflammation and swelling in that area or your face.

Did this happen at night again?  When do you have major play sessions with (sorry but I haven't picked up his name so I'm going to call him young Ed here) young Ed?  If you don't run him out until he's exhausted before you try to go to bed it is worth a try.  And yes, this could easily take over 1/2 an hour of relentless play - preferably with toys in between you and those fangs and claws of his.  If he gets too hyper in the play sessions, ignores the no/ow warnings and attacks skin - give him a brief time out behind a door (just an minute of two) then when he's calmer start play again, time out if he goes for you, then start again.  He should get the reward and play if he's good, time out if he's hyper and bites/attacks skin pretty quickly.  Play till exhausted is a good policy for pre-bed time as he will be slightly tired and rest when you're trying to get to sleep (if you're lucky). 

  you have a slightly more subdued tiny terrorist over the next couple of days and no more death claws or testing out of fangs on human skin.  

 

[chasetheblue]

I laughed a lot reading this topic. 

I have two 10 week old kittens and Cairo sometimes turns "manic kitty" and does what you've described. I was lying on the couch minding my own business the first time, and she came flying up out of nowhere and CHOMPED on my nose. She has done similar a couple of times since. I 'scruff' her gently and hiss at her and say "no!". 

... mine also don't feel very threatened by the pointing 'no-no' finger lol. They sit up on their little haunches and smack my finger when I try that hahaha. 

so don't worry, it's normal. 

 

[varsettie]

Well the first issue is that he was separated too early from his siblings and parents, the previous owner should have waited 8 weeks minimum. The other issue I’m seeing here is play aggression. It sounds to be like he’s targeting you and using you like a toy or prey to hunt. I’ve gotten love nips from my cats but their bodies never tense up and they never draw blood, so that does not seem like something friendly. Is there a way you can get video of him doing these things? It would really help to see his body language.

My best advice at the moment, without really being able to see his body language, is to try to tucker him out consistently and most importantly right before bed time, with toys. Kittens have ten times the amount of energy older cats do, and play time is their learning curve which would normally be taught by their siblings and mother, but your kitten was forced to separate too early. I don’t think he learned how to play gently or the difference between toys and friends. It also might help if you’re loud when telling him ‘no’ or saying ‘ow’ or whichever you’ve chosen to do when he bites you. If it’s loud it may startle him, which will associate that bad feeling of being startled he doesn’t like with biting you, and so he should stop.

Best of luck!

 

[laurag]

Simone is sort of a jerk too. She was given away much too early as well. I have other cats and thought they would socialize her. Nope. She's a jerk to them as well.  Anyway, one thing that Simone thinks is hilarious is when I'm in bed. She spreads out her huge foot and taps my face RELENTLESSLY.  She's trying to get me to get up, or at least because she thinks it is hilarious. Anyway, it used to result in her chomping down on that piece of your nose between the nostrils. Yeow.

No amount of turning away, covering my head from her worked. So.... I blew on her face. The ultimate "how dare you".  She doesn't bite my nose any more. She still does the paw thing but it is accompanied by the "I really love you please feed me" face rub.

When she's being a complete jerk (which she's still good at) a hiss does the job. She looks so surprised when I do that and I must say, a little hurt. I don't use it often but sometimes she is so irritating I do what another cat would do under the same circumstances.

 

[mservant]

Good suggestion here from @lauraG, I'm always forgetting the blowing in the cat's face technique but I know it works well. I like the idea of it too as it is a more natural cat behaviour response and gives your cat the message to back off without scaring them.  You definitely need to be calm and firm so your cat learns the limits here as you can't afford for it go on, esp as kittens grow VERY quickly in to big strong cats!  You know this already, so stay motivated and hang in there.  Hoping the last day or so have been a bit calmer for you. 

 

[smallbigtown]

Is it a bad thing that I'm relieved to hear that other cats are jerks, too?  

I mean, not that it makes it okay or anything.  It's just good to know that getting Gizmo wet isn't going to turn him into a gremlin.  He was actually a gremlin all along.  

I totally forgot about the blowing in the face idea.  It absolutely works for my dogs, so I don't know why I didn't think of that with the kitten!  Though when I tried it just a little while ago while he flanked my arm, he looked at me with a very unimpressed expression.  Maybe my aim was off.  I have always had terrible aim.

The last mauling by Freddie Krueger (and it wasn't that you didn't pick up on his name, MServant, I haven't picked out a name for him yet) was done while everyone was calm.  He was laying on my friend's chest.  He could have been sleeping as far as I knew.  Until, of course, there was all of a sudden a bloodsucking monster attached to my face.  The swelling as gone away.  Thanks for the concern!  Everything is back to normal, with the exception of some faint scratch marks and a tiny bit of tenderness on my eyelid.  But the jury is in; I'll survive.

There hasn't been another incident since then, except for a foiled attempt.  Two foiled attempts, actually.  Then, when he started to lick my jawline and nibble as he sometimes does right before havoc breaks loose.  So I went from scratching his little head to scratching the base of his ear, right where I'd pinched him on a couple of occasions.  The licking immediately started to slow down and became much more deliberate.  He kept licking cautiously, though.  And I kept firmly rubbing the base of his ear.  He eventually just laid across my neck (his face facing away from mine!  yay!), and purred until he fell asleep.  Success!

 

[fluffybeard]

My kitten didn't care about hissing or face blowing, lol. He was a real beast! Really the only thing that worked for him was yelping to startle him and then making annoying whining/moaning sounds and then hiding under the covers dead still. But if he really hurt me or I couldn't get under the covers cause he was attacking too fast, I would get up and shut myself in the bathroom for a few minutes. I tried not to let it get to that point, cause he would get so upset and give the most awful, sorrowful cries and rattle the doorknob. It broke my heart. But it only took a few minutes and I could come out and he would be calm enough to leave me alone for awhile.

He loved playing so much, all he needed to learn was that biting too hard meant playtime was over!

 

[laurag]

These stories are funny even though there is mutual pain involved. It might help to know the Tlingit word for cat is doosh.

I'm not making that up.

 

[smallbigtown]

Doosh!  

Oh, and to the person that asked if I could capture the ferociousness that is my kitten... I'd really rather not encourage that to happen again.  It's kind of traumatizing (for me).